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SMU Student Government Discusses New “Start-Up” Platform at Weekly Meeting

By Johnny Crowley

Student government met for their weekly board meeting on Tuesday in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center. During this meeting, guest speakers from SMU’s renowned entrepreneurship department spoke to introduce a program for any SMU student to pitch their business ideas and models.

The new platform, “Start-Up,” is a place where students can upload their potential business plans. Following this, professors from the entrepreneurship department will review and assist students in “starting up” their goals.

During the meeting, the board decided to allow students to use the platform to spotlight potential social changes on campus. This decision was sparked when a student asked if the site is not just about starting companies, but about creating things that actually make SMU better for everyone.

Along with this, the department will consider granting financial funding for some of these ideas.

Following the meeting, I spoke to a few students and asked them to share some of their key takeaways. For some, the platform felt like a practical starting point.

“I think I'm going to start using it and shoot some ideas out to it,” said Georgia Barons, who attended the meeting.

In a similar tone, J.D. Robertson says, “Yeah, it was really informational… It just made the whole entrepreneurship thing feel more accessible. It really taught me that anyone can actually take their shot at their own ideas.”

And lastly, Nadya Smolinski said, “Honestly, what stuck with me from the meeting was just more like how a lot of us actually care about making something new here. And to me, it felt less like a meeting and just more of everybody coming together and sharing their ideas.”

Students gathered in the congress-style room with laptops and notebooks out as they took notes. The room served as a place for young and bright ideas to receive the spotlight and pursue what many dismissed in the past. Now, SMU’s student body has a place to engage with the future.